Birmingham City Councilor Roderick Royal wears a hoodie during the city council's Tuesday, March 27, 2012, meeting in honor of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teenager shot and killed in February. (via Birmingham City Council meeting live stream)

It is hard for Wyatt and others to process the difference between Martin's death and those of the many young black men killed on a regular basis.

In Birmingham, perennially one of the most murderous cities in America, 15 people have been killed so far this year. Fourteen of those were black males.

Wyatt pointed out that none drew protests or rallies.

"Why doesn't this happen for all the kids that are murdered?" she asked.

"There appears to be something different regarding this case that has sparked national outrage when the vast majority of similar homicides only affect the family and friends," said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper. "Most of our homicides involve African-American suspects and victims, so the allegation of racism isn't present."

Martin was killed in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26 by 28-year-old George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain of white and Hispanic descent. Zimmerman saw Martin walking through Zimmerman's gated community and determined the teen looked "suspicious," with his jacket hood pulled over his head. Zimmerman shot Martin, following a fight. Police said the teen was unarmed, carrying only a packet of Skittles and a canned iced tea.

In recent weeks, people across the nation have become incensed over Martin's death and over the Sanford Police Department's decision not to arrest or seek charges against Zimmerman.

Protests have sprung up in support of Martin's family -- and against Zimmerman and the police -- from coast to coast.

Birmingham council members said their demonstration was prompted by the Martin case, but more broadly was a call to action against the overall violence that plagues black men.

It is a problem Birmingham knows well.

In 2011, Birmingham police recorded 54 chargeable homicides and three justifiable ones. Of the 54 chargeable ones, 38 of the cases were the result of black-on-black crime. No charges have been made in 17 of those cases.

In 2010, Birmingham had 58 chargeable homicides and four justifiable ones. Of the chargeable cases, 40 were the result of black-on-black crime. No charges have been made in 20 of them.

There was one teen killed in 2010, and three in 2011, including Wyatt's son. The 16-year-old Harrison was playing dice and cards at the Smithfield Estates Park pavilion when gunfire rang out. Harrison was killed, and another teen wounded. Police said neither of the victims were involved in the argument that sparked the shooting, and were not the intended targets. A 17-year-old was charged in the shootings and is out on bond awaiting trial.

Wyatt said little to-do was made over the death of her son. "It was like, 'OK, he's dead, move on to the next thing.' There wasn't no protest about it."

When Devonnterrius Randall, 15, was killed in 2010, it ended his dreams of going out for quarterback at Midfield High School. He and his cousin were leaving a convenience store when shots rang out. He was found dead on the sidewalk.

An arrest was made and some city officials attended his funeral. The attention was short-lived, and the outrage scarce, but his grandmother said she doesn't feel slighted.

"Every case is different," said Carolyn Randall, who also has kept up with the Martin case. "You just can't walk around in bitterness and unforgiveness because it's not going to bring anyone back."

It's not unusual for murders in Birmingham in recent years to be followed by candlelight vigils in memory of those lost, but none on the level of the Martin case. Earlier this year when five men were gunned down at the same time in a home in Ensley, a vigil for them drew fewer than 100 people, most of whom knew the victims personally.

Fitting the profile

John Sloan, chairman of UAB's Department of Justice Sciences, said he believes the nation has rallied around the Martin case because it so clearly taps into the state of race relations, and the widespread perception that police are unwilling to do anything about Martin's slaying because he is black and the shooter was not.

"The key is a white shooter and a black victim," he said. "If they had just taken him (Zimmerman) into custody for questioning, there would not have been this uproar."

Sloan said the Martin case illustrates the profile picture that has been painted of young black men in this country. The presumption is if you're a young, black male and you're dressed a certain way, something bad is going to happen when you are around.

"What ends up happening is people respond to the image rather than the individual," Sloan said. "It appears that's what happened here. The kid fit this profile, and Zimmerman responded to Martin's mere presence."

NAACP Rally for Trayvon Martin 03-27-12Cedric Hatcher came to the Metro Birmingham NAACP rally and wreath laying for Trayvon Martin dressed in a hoodie and a double-sided sign that had Skittles on the front and R.I.P. Trayvon, Stop the Violence on the back. Here he tells why.

He said the case has revealed something simmering beneath the surface in America, where certain segments of society feel under siege.

"This has really struck a chord with a lot of people around the country," Sloan said. "There was something waiting to come out and this was it -- a defenseless young man killed and no one is doing anything about it.

"My take on this," he said, "is the African-American community has had enough, and this is serious business now."

Birmingham City Council President Roderick Royal said protests over the Martin case focus on a particular problem of racial profiling that does not diminish the need to address violence within black communities.

"I have not dismissed that Birmingham has its own problems with crime. What I am doing is using this incident to point out an even larger problem of invisibility of the black man," Royal said. "A murder anywhere, black on black, white on white, all of that is unacceptable, but the larger issue here is the invisibility of black men to much of the community that when people see you they look past you and see something negative, something that may not even be you."

Police Chief Roper said he hopes the Martin case sparks a movement that addresses the issues facing all young black men in America -- not just one.

"It's not just about Trayvon's family," the chief said, "but the numerous families that have been touched by violence."